Why, even the kitchen cupboard was a source of medical wonders in the early days.  Cornmeal, sugar, flour, onions, mustard, many pioneer men and women claimed these common groceries were invested with miraculous curative powers.

The fact is: although doctors and scientific knowledge were scarce on the western frontier, all kinds of home healing techniques flourished, and nursing friends and family became so proficient at the art of hearthside healing that they exchanged services for cash.